The American Community Survey: Statement of Linda Jacobsen Before Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress
Statement of Linda Jacobsen, vice president, Domestic Programs at PRB, before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, on "The Federal Statistical System in the 21st Century: The Role of the Census Bureau." (July 2009)

How the 2010 Census is Different
The 2010 Census will enumerate the resident population of the United States as of April 1, 2010. The census will include everyone living in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. People will be counted at their usual place of residence on April 1, 2010. (April 2009)

The 2010 Census Questionnaire: Seven Questions for Everyone
The 2010 Census questionnaire will be sent to every housing unit in the country. The person in who fills out the form (Person 1) will provide the household information, including whether the home is rented or owned, and will answer just seven questions about every household member. (April 2009)

Geographic Areas Covered in the American Community Survey
The ACS data are tabulated for a variety of different geographic areas ranging in size from broad geographic regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) to neighborhoods and clusters of city blocks. One-year estimates are currently available for geographic areas with at least 65,000 people, including regions, divisions, states, DC, Puerto Rico, Congressional districts, Public Use Microdata Areas, and many large counties, metropolitan areas, cities, school districts, and American Indian areas. (April 2009)

Differences Between the ACS and Decennial Census
While the main function of the U.S. decennial census is to provide counts of people for the purpose of Congressional apportionment, the primary purpose of the ACS is to measure the changing social and economic characteristics of the U.S. population. As a result, the ACS does not provide official counts of the population in between censuses. Instead, the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates program will continue to be the official source for annual population totals, by age, race, Hispanic origin, and gender. (April 2009)

How the American Community Survey Works
The American Community Survey (ACS) samples nearly 3 million addresses each year, resulting in nearly 2 million final interviews. The annual ACS sample is much smaller than that of the Census 2000 long-form sample, which included about 18 million housing units. As a result, the ACS needs to combine population or housing data from multiple years to produce reliable numbers for small counties, neighborhoods, and other local areas. To provide information for communities each year, the ACS will provide one-year, three-year, and five-year estimates of data. (April 2009)

Who Uses the ACS and Why?
The American Community Survey puts up-to-date information about important social issues at the fingertips of people who need it, including policymakers, researchers, businesses and nongovernmental organizations, journalists, teachers, students, and the public. (April 2009)

States in the West and South Are Set to Gain Political Clout
Population trends since 2000 suggest that states in the South and West will gain additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2010 Census. In the South, Texas is on track to add three seats, while Florida and Georgia could add one seat each. In the West, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah could each gain one more seat. (April 2009)

About the American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS), a relatively new survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, is ushering in the most substantial change in the decennial census in more than 60 years. The ACS will replace the decennial census long form in 2010 and thereafter by collecting long-form-type information throughout the decade rather than only once every 10 years. (April 2009)

The U.S. Census Tradition
Just as the form of government hammered out at the Philadelphia convention has withstood more than two centuries of tumultuous change, the tradition of the decennial population census has also endured. The United States has conducted a census every 10th year beginning with 1790. Except during the 1920s, the results were used to reapportion state representation in the U.S. Congress once a decade, and eventually for assessing taxes, gauging potential military strength, and a myriad of other purposes. (April 2009)